scholarly journals Origin and Effect of Alpha 2.2 Acetobacteraceae in Honey Bee Larvae and Description of Parasaccharibacter apium gen. nov., sp. nov.

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (24) ◽  
pp. 7460-7472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Corby-Harris ◽  
Lucy A. Snyder ◽  
Melissa R. Schwan ◽  
Patrick Maes ◽  
Quinn S. McFrederick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Royal Jelly ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Larval Survival ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Symbiotic Relationships ◽  
Nurse Crops ◽  
Nurse Worker

ABSTRACTThe honey bee hive environment contains a rich microbial community that differs according to niche.AcetobacteraceaeAlpha 2.2 (Alpha 2.2) bacteria are present in the food stores, the forager crop, and larvae but at negligible levels in the nurse and forager midgut and hindgut. We first sought to determine the source of Alpha 2.2 in young larvae by assaying the diversity of microbes in nurse crops, hypopharyngeal glands (HGs), and royal jelly (RJ). Amplicon-based pyrosequencing showed that Alpha 2.2 bacteria occupy each of these environments along with a variety of other bacteria, includingLactobacillus kunkeei. RJ and the crop contained fewer bacteria than the HGs, suggesting that these tissues are rather selective environments. Phylogenetic analyses showed that honey bee-derived Alpha 2.2 bacteria are specific to bees that “nurse” the hive's developing brood with HG secretions and are distinct from theSaccharibacter-type bacteria found in bees that provision their young differently, such as with a pollen ball coated in crop-derived contents.Acetobacteraceaecan form symbiotic relationships with insects, so we next tested whether Alpha 2.2 increased larval fitness. We cultured 44 Alpha 2.2 strains from young larvae that grouped into nine distinct clades. Three isolates from these nine clades flourished in royal jelly, and one isolate increased larval survivalin vitro. We conclude that Alpha 2.2 bacteria are not gut bacteria but are prolific in the crop-HG-RJ-larva niche, passed to the developing brood through nurse worker feeding behavior. We propose the nameParasaccharibacter apiumfor this bacterial symbiont of bees in the genusApis.

scholarly journals LEA Proteins and the Evolution of the WHy Domain

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmin Mertens ◽  
Habibu Aliyu ◽  
Don A. Cowan
Keyword(s):  
Stress Tolerance ◽  
Protein Denaturation ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Late Embryogenesis Abundant ◽  
Abiotic Stress Response ◽  
Lea Proteins ◽  
Protective Function ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reading Frame

ABSTRACT The late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) family is composed of a diverse collection of multidomain and multifunctional proteins found in all three domains of the tree of life, but they are particularly common in plants. Most members of the family are known to play an important role in abiotic stress response and stress tolerance in plants but are also part of the plant hypersensitive response to pathogen infection. The mechanistic basis for LEA protein functionality is still poorly understood. The group of LEA 2 proteins harbor one or more copies of a unique domain, the water stress and hypersensitive response (WHy) domain. This domain sequence has recently been identified as a unique open reading frame (ORF) in some bacterial genomes (mostly in the phylum Firmicutes), and the recombinant bacterial WHy protein has been shown to exhibit a stress tolerance phenotype in Escherichia coli and an in vitro protein denaturation protective function. Multidomain phylogenetic analyses suggest that the WHy protein gene sequence may have ancestral origins in the domain Archaea, with subsequent acquisition in Bacteria and eukaryotes via endosymbiont or horizontal gene transfer mechanisms. Here, we review the structure, function, and nomenclature of LEA proteins, with a focus on the WHy domain as an integral component of the LEA constructs and as an independent protein.

scholarly journals Genomic Signatures of Honey Bee Association in an Acetic Acid Symbiont

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1882-1894
Author(s):  
Eric A Smith ◽  
Irene L G Newton
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Genomic Changes ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Queens

Abstract Recent declines in the health of the honey bee have startled researchers and lay people alike as honey bees are agriculture’s most important pollinator. Honey bees are important pollinators of many major crops and add billions of dollars annually to the US economy through their services. One factor that may influence colony health is the microbial community. Indeed, the honey bee worker digestive tract harbors a characteristic community of bee-specific microbes, and the composition of this community is known to impact honey bee health. However, the honey bee is a superorganism, a colony of eusocial insects with overlapping generations where nestmates cooperate, building a hive, gathering and storing food, and raising brood. In contrast to what is known regarding the honey bee worker gut microbiome, less is known of the microbes associated with developing brood, with food stores, and with the rest of the built hive environment. More recently, the microbe Bombella apis was identified as associated with nectar, with developing larvae, and with honey bee queens. This bacterium is related to flower-associated microbes such as Saccharibacter floricola and other species in the genus Saccharibacter, and initial phylogenetic analyses placed it as sister to these environmental bacteria. Here, we used comparative genomics of multiple honey bee-associated strains and the nectar-associated Saccharibacter to identify genomic changes that may be associated with the ecological transition to honey bee association. We identified several genomic differences in the honey bee-associated strains, including a complete CRISPR/Cas system. Many of the changes we note here are predicted to confer upon Bombella the ability to survive in royal jelly and defend themselves against mobile elements, including phages. Our results are a first step toward identifying potential function of this microbe in the honey bee superorganism.

scholarly journals Novel Taxa Associated with Human Fungal Black-Grain Mycetomas: Emarellia grisea gen. nov., sp. nov., and Emarellia paragrisea sp. nov.

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 1738-1745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Borman ◽  
Marie Desnos-Ollivier ◽  
Colin K. Campbell ◽  
Paul D. Bridge ◽  
Eric Dannaoui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radical Surgery ◽  
Indian Subcontinent ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Culture Collections ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Azole Antifungals ◽  
Appropriate Treatment ◽  
Novel Taxa

Eumycetoma is a debilitating, chronic, fungal infection that is endemic in India, Indonesia, and parts of Africa and South and Central America. It remains a neglected tropical disease in need of international recognition. Infections follow traumatic implantation of saprophytic fungi and frequently require radical surgery or amputation in the absence of appropriate treatment. Several fungal species can cause black-grain mycetomas, includingMadurellaspp. (Sordariales),Falciformisporaspp.,Trematosphaeria grisea,Biatriospora mackinnonii,Pseudochaetosphaeronema larense, andMedicopsis romeroi(allPleosporales). We performed phylogenetic analyses based on five loci on 31 isolates from two international culture collections to establish the taxonomic affiliations of fungi that had been isolated from cases of black-grain mycetoma and historically classified asMadurella grisea. Although most strains were well resolved to species level and corresponded to known agents of eumycetoma, six independent isolates, which failed to produce conidia under any conditions tested, were only distantly related to existing members of thePleosporales. Five of the six isolates shared >99% identity with each other and are described asEmarellia griseagen. nov. and sp. nov; the sixth isolate represents a sister species in this novel genus and is described asEmarellia paragrisea.SeveralE. griseaisolates were present in both United Kingdom and French culture collections and had been isolated independently over 6 decades from cases of imported eumycetoma. Four of the six isolates involved patients that had originated on the Indian subcontinent. All isolates were all susceptiblein vitroto the azole antifungals, but had elevated MICs with caspofungin.

scholarly journals Reclassification of seven honey bee symbiont strains as Bombella apis

2021 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric A. Smith ◽  
Kirk E. Anderson ◽  
Vanessa Corby-Harris ◽  
Quinn S. McFrederick ◽  
Audrey J. Parish ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Type Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Acetic Acid Bacterium ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Honey Bee Queen

Honey bees are important pollinators of many major crops and add billions of dollars annually to the US economy through their services. Recent declines in the health of the honey bee have startled researchers and lay people alike as honey bees are agriculture’s most important pollinator. One factor that may influence colony health is the microbial community. Although honey bee worker guts have a characteristic community of bee-specific microbes, the honey bee queen digestive tracts are colonized predominantly by a single acetic acid bacterium tentatively named ‘Parasaccharibacter apium’. This bacterium is related to flower-associated microbes such as Saccharibacter floricola , and initial phylogenetic analyses placed it as sister to these environmental bacteria. We used a combination of phylogenetic and sequence identity methods to better resolve evolutionary relationships among ‘P. apium’, strains in the genus Saccharibacter , and strains in the closely related genus Bombella . Interestingly, measures of genome-wide average nucleotide identity and aligned fraction, coupled with phylogenetic placement, indicate that many strains labelled as ‘P. apium’ and Saccharibacter species are all the same species as Bombella apis . We propose reclassifying these strains as Bombella apis and outline the data supporting that classification below.

scholarly journals Routes of Acquisition of the Gut Microbiota of the Honey Bee Apis mellifera

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (23) ◽  
pp. 7378-7387 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Elijah Powell ◽  
Vincent G. Martinson ◽  
Katherine Urban-Mead ◽  
Nancy A. Moran
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Core Species ◽  
Colonization Dynamics ◽  
Colonization Patterns ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Nurse Worker

ABSTRACTStudies of newly emergedApis melliferaworker bees have demonstrated that their guts are colonized by a consistent core microbiota within several days of eclosure. We conducted experiments aimed at illuminating the transmission routes and spatiotemporal colonization dynamics of this microbiota. Experimental groups of newly emerged workers were maintained in cup cages and exposed to different potential transmission sources. Colonization patterns were evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) to assess community sizes and using deep sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons to assess community composition. In addition, we monitored the establishment of the ileum and rectum communities within workers sampled over time from natural hive conditions. The study verified that workers initially lack gut bacteria and gain large characteristic communities in the ileum and rectum within 4 to 6 days within hives. Typical communities, resembling those of workers within hives, were established in the presence of nurse workers or nurse worker fecal material, and atypical communities of noncore or highly skewed compositions were established when workers were exposed only to oral trophallaxis or hive components (comb, honey, bee bread). The core species of Gram-negative bacteria,Snodgrassella alvi,Gilliamella apicola, andFrischella perrara, were dependent on the presence of nurses or hindgut material, whereas some Gram-positive species were more often transferred through exposure to hive components. These results indicate aspects of the colony life cycle and behavior that are key to the propagation of the characteristic honey bee gut microbiota.

scholarly journals Comparison of Phylogenetically Distinct Histoplasma Strains Reveals Evolutionarily Divergent Virulence Strategies

mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria E. Sepúlveda ◽  
Corinne L. Williams ◽  
William E. Goldman
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
North America ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Inoculum Size ◽  
Sublethal Dose ◽  
Dimorphic Fungus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range

ABSTRACTInfection with the dimorphic fungusHistoplasma capsulatumresults from the inhalation of contaminated soil. Disease outcome is variable and depends on the immune status of the host, number of organisms inhaled, and theH. capsulatumstrain.H. capsulatumis divided into seven distinct clades based on phylogenetic analyses, and strains from two separate clades have been identified in North America (denoted as NAm strains). We characterized anH. capsulatumisolate (WU24) from the NAm 1 lineage in relation to two other well-characterizedHistoplasmaisolates, the Panamanian strain G186A and the NAm 2 strain G217B. We determined that WU24 is a chemotype II strain and requires cell wall α-(1,3)-glucan for successfulin vitroinfection of macrophages. In a mouse model of histoplasmosis, WU24 exhibited a disease profile that was very similar to that of strain G186A at a high sublethal dose; however, at this dose G217B had markedly different kinetics. Surprisingly, infection with a lower dose mitigated many of the differences during the course of infection. The observed differences in fungal burden, disease kinetics, symptomology, and cytokine responses all indicate that there is a sophisticated relationship between host and fungus that drives the development and progression of histoplasmosis.IMPORTANCEHistoplasmosis has a wide range of clinical manifestations, presenting as mild respiratory distress, acute respiratory infection, or a life-threatening disseminated disease most often seen in immunocompromised patients. Additionally, the outcome appears to be dependent on the amount and strain of fungus inhaled. In this study, we characterized a recent clinicalH. capsulatumisolate that was collected from an HIV+individual in North America. In contrast to other isolates from the same lineage, this strain, WU24, infected both macrophages and wild-type mice. We determined that in contrast to many other North American strains, WU24 infection of macrophages is dependent on the presence of cell wall α-(1,3)-glucan. Surprisingly, comparison of WU24 with two previously characterized isolates revealed that many conclusions regarding relative strain virulence and certain hallmarks of histoplasmosis are dependent on the inoculum size.

scholarly journals Species Distribution andIn VitroAzole Susceptibility of Aspergillus SectionNigriIsolates from Clinical and Environmental Settings

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (9) ◽  
pp. 2365-2372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Iatta ◽  
Federica Nuccio ◽  
Davide Immediato ◽  
Adriana Mosca ◽  
Carmela De Carlo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Distribution ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Aspergillus Awamori ◽  
Azole Resistance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural Environments ◽  
Sequence Types

AspergillussectionNigriincludes species of interest for animal and human health, although studies on species distribution are limited to human cases. Data on the antifungal susceptibilities and the molecular mechanism of triazole resistance in strains belonging to this section are scant. Forty-two blackAspergillusstrains from human patients (16 isolates), animals (14 isolates), and the environment (12 isolates) were molecularly characterized and theirin vitrotriazole susceptibilities investigated.Aspergillus tubingensiswas isolated from humans, animals, and environmental settings, whereasAspergillus awamoriandAspergillus nigerwere isolated exclusively from humans. Phylogenetic analyses of β-tubulin and calmodulin gene sequences were concordant in differentiatingA. tubingensisfromA. awamoriandA. niger. Voriconazole and posaconazole (PSZ) were the most active triazoles. OneA. tubingensisstrain was resistant to itraconazole and PSZ and oneA. nigerstrain to PSZ. Sequence analysis of thecyp51Agene revealed different sequence types within a species, andA. tubingensisstrains were also phylogenetically distinct fromA. awamori/A. nigerstrains according to the strain origin and susceptibility profile. Genetic analysis of thecyp51Asequences suggests that two nonsynonymous mutations resulting in amino acid substitutions in the CYP51A protein (changes of L to R at position 21 [L21R] and of Q to R at position 228 [Q228R]) might be involved in azole resistance. Though azole resistance in blackAspergillusisolates from animals and rural environments does not represent a threat to public health in Southern Italy, the use of triazoles in the clinical setting needs to better monitored. Thecyp51Asequence is useful for the molecular identification of blackAspergillus, and point mutations in protein sequences could be responsible for azole resistance phenomena.

scholarly journals Phosphinothricin Acetyltransferases Identified UsingIn Vivo,In Vitro, and Bioinformatic Analyses

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (24) ◽  
pp. 7041-7051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsey M. VanDrisse ◽  
Kristy L. Hentchel ◽  
Jorge C. Escalante-Semerena
Keyword(s):  
Deinococcus Radiodurans ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Metabolic Stress ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Methionine Sulfoximine ◽  
Acinetobacter Baylyi ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACTAcetylation of small molecules is widespread in nature, and in some cases, cells use this process to detoxify harmful chemicals.Streptomycesspecies utilize aGcn5N-acetyltransferase (GNAT), known as Bar, to acetylate and detoxify a self-produced toxin,phosphinothricin (PPT), a glutamate analogue. Bar homologues, such as MddA fromSalmonella enterica, acetylate methionine analogues such as methionine sulfoximine (MSX) and methionine sulfone (MSO), but not PPT, even though Bar homologues are annotated as PPT acetyltransferases.S. entericawas used as a heterologous host to determine whether or not putative PPT acetyltransferases from various sources could acetylate PPT, MSX, and MSO.In vitroandin vivoanalyses identified substrates acetylated by putative PPT acetyltransferases fromDeinococcus radiodurans(DR_1057 and DR_1182) andGeobacillus kaustophilus(GK0593 and GK2920).In vivo, synthesis of DR_1182, GK0593, and GK2920 blocked the inhibitory effects of PPT, MSX, and MSO. In contrast, DR_1057 did not detoxify any of the above substrates. Results ofin vitrostudies were consistent with thein vivoresults. In addition, phylogenetic analyses were used to predict the functionality of annotated PPT acetyltransferases inBurkholderia xenovorans,Bacillus subtilis,Staphylococcus aureus,Acinetobacter baylyi, andEscherichia coli.IMPORTANCEThe work reported here provides an example of the use of a heterologous system for the identification of enzyme function. Many members of this superfamily of proteins do not have a known function, or it has been annotated solely on the basis of sequence homology to previously characterized enzymes. The critical role ofGcn5N-acetyltransferases (GNATs) in the modulation of central metabolic processes, and in controlling metabolic stress, necessitates approaches that can reveal their physiological role. The combination ofin vivo,in vitro, and bioinformatics approaches reported here identified GNATs that can acetylate and detoxify phosphinothricin.

scholarly journals Paenibacillus larvae-Directed Bacteriophage HB10c2 and Its Application in American Foulbrood-Affected Honey Bee Larvae

2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (16) ◽  
pp. 5411-5419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Beims ◽  
Johannes Wittmann ◽  
Boyke Bunk ◽  
Cathrin Spröer ◽  
Christine Rohde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Phage Therapy ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Antagonistic Activity ◽  
Bacterial Disease ◽  
American Foulbrood ◽  
Whole Genome Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family

ABSTRACTPaenibacilluslarvaeis the causative agent of American foulbrood (AFB), the most serious honey bee brood bacterial disease. We isolated and characterizedP. larvae-directed bacteriophages and developed criteria for safe phage therapy. Whole-genome analysis of a highly lytic virus of the familySiphoviridae(HB10c2) provided a detailed safety profile and uncovered its lysogenic nature and a putative beta-lactamase-like protein. To rate its antagonistic activity against the pathogens targeted and to specify potentially harmful effects on the bee population and the environment,P. larvaegenotypes ERIC I to IV, representatives of the bee gut microbiota, and a broad panel of members of the orderBacillaleswere analyzed for phage HB10c2-induced lysis. Breeding assays with infected bee larvae revealed that thein vitrophage activity observed was not predictive of the real-life scenario and therapeutic efficacy. On the basis of the disclosedP. larvae-bacteriophage coevolution, we discuss the future prospects of AFB phage therapy.

scholarly journals Current Knowledge on Honey and Its Derivatives with Genomic Stability: A Mini Review

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (13) ◽  
pp. 145
Author(s):  
Malisanurhidayu Yaacob ◽  
Anne Jesscy Stanis ◽  
Nor Fadilah Rajab ◽  
Suzana Shahar ◽  
Razinah Sharif
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Royal Jelly ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Genomic Stability ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Bee Pollen

Genome health is an important factor that plays a role in various degenerative diseases. Instability of genome is the prevalence of mutation within the genome such as changed in nucleic acid and chromosomal arrangement and also the presence of abnormal number of chromosome in cell. Therefore, several method were used to overcome this problem and one of them is by using natural product such as honey, propolis, bee pollen and royal jelly that is high in antioxidant. Those are products that derive from honey bee and had been used as food supplement to increase the quality of life. Therefore, this systematic review provides the updates on the potential of honey bee products to decrease DNA damage both in in vivo and in vitro approaches. Search term of “honey”, “propolis”, “bee pollen”, royal jelly”, “DNA damage”, “genome integrity”, and “telomere” were used for searching purpose in three databases (Scopus, Pubmed and Medline) and also Google Scholar. All the published articles were assessed using PRISMA guidelines and finally after the eligibility process, only 34 published articles were selected for this review. Based on the reports, the product from the honey bee decrease the genome related diseases by reducing the accumulation of free radical, increase the DNA repair protein expression and decrease the telomerase activity in the cell. This provides a large gap in the research field focusing on the effect of those derivatives from bees on genomic stability.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document